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Trevor Immelman wins the Masters
by
findingDulcinea Staff
The 28-year old South African won his first career major, finishing three strokes ahead of second-place Tiger Woods.
30-Second Summary
Just four months ago, Trevor Immelman was in the hospital, hoping that he didn’t have cancer. Now he is the champion of golf’s most prestigious tournament.
Immelman held off tournament favorite Tiger Woods in the final round, shooting a respectable 75 under difficult conditions that produced many high scores. Woods failed to mount the charge that many in the gallery were hoping for, shooting par for the day.
Last year’s champion, Zach Johnson, presented Immelman with the green jacket. As with Johnson, few people predicted Immelman would be on the leader board before the tournament began.
With accurate drives, smart play and clutch putting, Immelman took a two-stroke lead into the final round. Taking the advice of his mentor—golf legend and fellow South African Gary Player—he remained calm as his closest rivals fell off the pace and Woods struggled to make a comeback.
Immelman held off tournament favorite Tiger Woods in the final round, shooting a respectable 75 under difficult conditions that produced many high scores. Woods failed to mount the charge that many in the gallery were hoping for, shooting par for the day.
Last year’s champion, Zach Johnson, presented Immelman with the green jacket. As with Johnson, few people predicted Immelman would be on the leader board before the tournament began.
With accurate drives, smart play and clutch putting, Immelman took a two-stroke lead into the final round. Taking the advice of his mentor—golf legend and fellow South African Gary Player—he remained calm as his closest rivals fell off the pace and Woods struggled to make a comeback.
Headline Link: Immelman wins the Masters
Despite a double-bogey on the 16th hole, Immelman comfortably held on for a three-stroke win. Tiger Woods finished second, with Stewart Cink and Brandt Snedeker tying for third.
Source: Augusta Chronicle
Background: Immelman’s cancer scare and Gary Player’s influence
In December 2007, Trevor Immelman underwent surgery as doctors examined a potentially cancerous tumor under his ribcage. The tumor wasn’t cancerous, but the experience gave Immelman a new outlook: “It definitely gives you perspective because I went from winning a tournament to lying in a hospital bed waiting for results on a tumor. So [it] definitely made me realize that golf wasn’t my whole life.”
Source: ESPN
Before Sunday’s final round, Immelman received a phone call from golf legend Gary Player, who told him to take extra time while putting and not get discouraged by bad breaks. Immelman was inspired, saying “It gave me goosebumps because...he told me that he believed in me and I need to believe in myself.”
Source: Mail & Guardian
Opinion & Analysis: How Immelman beat Woods and the field
Golf Digest’s Rob Sirak says that Immelman simply played better than the rest of the field, building a lead in the first three days and surviving Sunday’s unforgiving conditions.
Source: Golf Digest
All the talk leading up to the tournament focused on Tiger Woods’s chance of winning a Grand Slam—all four majors in one calendar year. Thanks to uncharacteristically poor putting, Woods’s 2008 Grand Slam dream is over before it started.
Source: Golf.com
Reference: Masters Guide
FindingDulcinea has a guide to the Masters Tournament, featuring links to the best sources for tournament history, statistics, news and analysis.
Source: findingDulcinea
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